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Paradox in superconductivity at hightemperature Superconductivity is a bizarre but useful physical phenomenon. Nature publishes an article on a paradoxical discovery in superconductivity. Leiden physicist Jan Zaanen writes a News & Views article about this in the same issue of August 19th. Nature, Vol.536, Aug 2016

High temperature superconductivity: Electron mirages in an iron salt The detection of unusual ‘mirage’ energy bands in photoemission spectra of single-atom layers of iron selenide reveals the probable cause of high-temperature superconductivity in these artificial structures. Nature Vol. 515, 2014

The sound of a hidden order Ultrasound measurements in a copper oxide superconductor have revealed an exotic phase of matter, composed of loops of spontaneous quantum currents, that has hitherto excelled at evading observation. Nature, Vol. 498, June 2013

The secret of the hourglass The finding that a cobalt oxide insulator’s magnetism is similar to that of cuprate superconductors lends support to the popular but contentious idea that stripe-like electronic order is present in the latter materials. Nature Vol. 471, 2011

The benefit of fractal dirt Measurements of X-ray diffraction on small patches of a copper oxide superconductor reveal that oxygen crystal defects form fractal structures that seem to promote high-temperature superconductivity. Nature Vol. 466, 2010

The pnictide code Hopes are that the emergent family of iron-based superconductors, the pnictides, could act as a Rosetta stone in decoding the two-decade mystery of superconductivity observed at high temperatures. Prof. Zaanen comments in Nature Vol. 457, 2009

A black hole full of answers A facet of string theory, the currently favoured route to a ‘theory of everything’, might help to explain some properties of exotic matter phases —such as some peculiarities of high-temperature superconductors. Nature Vol. 448, 2007

Watching Rush Hour in the World of Electrons An improved imaging technique reveals that electrons in a material can suffer gridlock like cars in a city. This may help researchers understand the mechanism by which currents flow without resistance in superconductors. Science Vol. 315, 2007

Technology meets quantum criticality Superconductivity and antiferromagnetism are in fi erce competition in high temperature superconductors. However, this competition has the unexpected benefit that the antiferromagnetism improves the capacity of the superconductormagnetic fields. Nature Materials Vol. 4, 2005

Journalclub: Penrosian gravitational wavefunction collapse Prof. Zaanen comments in a journal club on the The Road to Reality in which the distinguished mathematical physicist Roger Penrose argues that the limit of quantum rules is rooted in a physicist’s nightmare: the deep conflict between quantum mechanics and Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Nature Vol.436, 2005

Why the temperature is high According to a new empirical law, the transition temperature to superconductivity is high in copper oxides because their metallic states are as viscous as is permitted by the laws of quantum physics. Nature Vol. 430, 2004

Stripes defeat the Fermi liquid Prof. Zaanen wrote a comment about the mysterie of High-temperature superconductivity. Nature Vol. 404, 2004

Pebbles in the nodal pond Rippling patterns of electron waves in a copper oxide match the expectation for a certain kind of excitation — another step towards understanding why copper oxides superconduct at far higher temperatures than other materials. Nature Vol. 422, 2003

Quantum salad dressing The mystery of how electrons in a high-temperature superconductor flow without resistance grows deeper. New pictures at the atomic scale reveal two electronic phases that — like oil and vinegar — do not easily mix. Nature Vol. 415, 2002